Email marketing is one of the most powerful- and most underused- forms of reaching your customers. Over the use, marketers have used a variety of tricks to try and catch the eye of customers- the problem is that many of these tips have been interpreted as sneaky, making customers weary of clicking on offers they receive in emails. But there is good news- there are a few proven tricks that can help you boost the success of email marketing, and they don't require any specialized knowledge or expensive software. As you plan your next campaign, keep these tips in mind and you will see your email marketing become more successful than ever before.
1. Constant Contact (www.constantcontact.com), which specializes in helping customers effectively market through email, says that copywriting is one of the most important things you can do for your email marketing. Emails that generate click throughs aren't long, they aren't complicated, and they don't give readers a feeling that it is "spam." Avoid common mistakes such as filling your email with exclamation points, dollar signs, and emoticons. Keep your email simple, use bullet points to emphasize a few key ideas, and make sure that you double and triple check spelling and grammar. Always have a friend read through it before you send it, or even take advantage of sites that offer proof-reading. Remember, that single email may be the only thing your customers will ever learn about you, so make sure you put your best work forward.
2. B2B Email Marketing (www.b2bemailmarketing) offers dozens of tips for creating more successful emails, but one of the best is also one of the most important- make sure that your marketing emails are mobile friendly. More people than ever are checking email with smart phones, and taking a few minutes to ensure your email shows up well on mobile devices can be the smartest move you will ever make. Even customers who may have deleted your email from home are more likely to read it when it shows up well on their mobile device. Keep text short, images easy to load, and check out how your email shows up on your phone before you send out the final version.
3. Ifusionsoft (www.infusionblog.com) offers 25 tips for email marketing, but one in particular that is worth thinking about is the difference between a marketing campaign and a "newsletter." When customers hear newsletters, they think of something that is far less than exciting. Instead of trying to fill space on your pre-formatted newsletter style email, think of a television commercial. You have thirty seconds to catch your readers' eye- what will make that happen? Aim to appeal to a specific type of customer, and give them specific pieces of information that will make them want to come to your site and keep reading. Short, simple, and dynamic is the way to success.
4. Sitepoint (www.sitepoint.com) also offers email tips, and they highlight one that many email marketers forget- a call to action. No matter how good your email is, your customers need to know what you want them to do in order for you to be successful. Whether you want them to come to your site, buy your product, or fill out a form for more information, you need to tell them that- and be specific! Don't hide the call to action in your text, or feel that you are coming on too strongly, customers who will be buyers need to know what they need to do to receive the benefits your email has told them about, so tell them!
5. Finally, one tip that doesn't always make the rounds among email marketers is this- watch your stats. Carefully analyze what clicks are coming from what emails so you know what works. If your software supports it, take the analysis as deep as possible- do male readers respond better to one ad than female readers? Next time, send out different emails to customers based on their gender. Are you getting hits from a specific part of the country? Focus your marketing efforts more strongly in that area, and figure out what appeals to customers in different parts of the country. Your stats are one of the most important tools you have, so be sure to make them work for you!
